Penn Researchers to Get 7 Tesla
Whole-Body MRI SystemCutting Edge Radiology Technology Will Be a First in the
Greater Philadelphia
Region and One of a Few in the Nation

(Philadelphia, PA) - Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine will soon be armed with a new, cutting-edge
technological tool in the field of radiology — a 7 Tesla whole-body
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system. Penn’s Department of Radiology
will become the first in the Greater Philadelphia region to acquire one
of these ultra high-field scanners. Only a handful of them are in operation
elsewhere in the United States.

Ravinder Reddy, PhD, Professor of Radiology and Science
Director of the Metabolic Magnetic Resonance Research and Computing Center
(MMRRCC) at Penn, who is also the principal investigator leading the effort
in high-field imaging, explains why this is such a powerful addition for
research: “Since the inception of MRI for clinical imaging and research
over two decades ago, the magnetic field strength of clinical imagers
has increased 20-fold from 0.15 Tesla initially to 3T currently, with
each increase in field strength yielding new diagnostic capabilities.
Initial results from a few laboratories suggest MRI at even higher fields
holds great promise to provide insight into structure, function and physiology
in humans not obtainable at lower fields. An ultra high-field magnet will
further improve sensitivity, speed, and image resolution.”

Reddy adds, “This system will also pave the way to image other
nuclei in the human body such as sodium (23Na),
phosphorus (31P), oxygen (17O)
and carbon (13C). Imaging these nuclei
may provide disease-specific molecular and functional information unobtainable
on conventional MRIs. With further technique development, we can detect
disease in a way never seen before."

The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), just announced it is awarding Penn a High-End
Instrumentation grant of $2 million toward the purchase of the whole-body
7T MRI system. The NCRR grants are used to fund cutting-edge equipment
required to advance biomedical research and increase knowledge of the
underlying causes of human disease.

This new system at Penn will be utilized primarily by four centers: the
MMRRCC, the Center for Functional Neuroimaging (CfN), the Center for Molecular
Imaging (CEMI), and the Laboratory for Structural NMR Imaging (LSNI).
Biomedical imaging research in these four laboratories covers a wide range
of applications and innovative methodologies involving functional brain
imaging for basic and clinical neuroscience, the study of neurodegenerative
and metabolic disorders, molecular imaging for cancer detection and treatment
monitoring, novel approaches to cardiovascular disease and tissue perfusion,
arthritis and osteoporosis. This ultra high-field magnet facility will
also serve as open resource for the entire research community at Penn
and other neighboring institutions. Details on how to access this magnet
system will be made available once the facility has become operational.

Reddy comments, “The higher the field strength, the better the
quality of the image, helping radiologists to improve diagnostic accuracy
and detect incipient disease.”

The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has already assigned
a space for the new 7T system on its campus; it will be housed in the
lower level of the Stellar-Chance Laboratories. Reddy will serve as the
director of the high-field center. Reddy hopes to order the scanner by
the end of 2006, then prepare the site by installing a magnetic shield,
and finally installing the magnet by mid-2007. The project will be funded
through a combination of internal and external sources including the NCRR
grant.

“We’re moving technology forward with our expertise and knowledge
here at Penn. This new high-field system will be used for research and
development and eventually clinical applications,” said Nick
Bryan, MD, PhD, Chair of Radiology at Penn, “We have a
strategic plan for this. A multi-disciplinary team of researchers at Penn
will use this cutting-edge technology. We view this is an investment in
our radiological future.”

Penn has a rich history of being a pioneering institution in the field
of radiology, specifically in MR technology development and translational
research for biomedical applications. The Hospital of the University
of Pennsylvania was the first hospital in the nation to get and
use an MRI back in 1984.

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PENN Medicine is a $2.9 billion enterprise
dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research,
and high-quality patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University
of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first
medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Penn's School of Medicine is ranked #2 in the nation for receipt
of NIH research funds; and ranked #3 in the nation in U.S.News & World
Report's most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical schools.
Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine
is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the
next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System includes three hospitals,
all of which have received numerous national patient-care honors [Hospital
of theUniversity of Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's
first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center]; a faculty practice
plan; a primary-care provider network; two multispecialty satellite facilities;
and home care and hospice.